Beer: Reviews & Ratings

First of all...great bottle label: Long live the first amendment! Hopefully the "authorities" in New York pull their heads out of their asses and worry about more important issues.

Appearance: Very little to no carbonation. In and of itself not a a big deal.

Aroma: Roasted malt with a small bit of cocoa aroma. I just reviewed "Lump of Coal" from this brewery last night, and it has nearly the same aroma with less spice or cherry character. Aromatically it seems like a stripped-down version of "Lump of Coal", in that it's not quite as complex. Less hops shine through as well than "Lump...".

Flavor: My first taste almost made my knees buckle. The second and third sips reveal a surprising and nicely balanced beer. Nothing overwhelming here, but still a solid interpretation of the style. A little hops nicely creep-in, but these fade quickly on the finish. This is one of those beers where understated flavors blend well to form an easy drinking beer with enough flavor to keep things interesting.

Mouthfeel: Awesome....crisp, clean, enough of an aftertaste to seduce multiple sips. "Tops" in this category.

Drinkability: This is truly a fine beer and was a bit of a surprise. I must say that if you're expecting something "wintery" or "christmasy" as the name suggests, you might be disappointed. Flat-out, this is nothing but a porter. Plain, yet glorious in its understated beauty. (1,406 characters)

I first discovered this beer several years ago while working for a store that excelled in featuring specialty beers. Since then, it's been a required part of Christmas time.

A - One-finger ecru head that's thick around the edge and foamy in the middle. It dissipates in about a minute to a thin film of lace across the surface. Very dark chocolate brown. Held up to a light, it's clear and a deep ruby red.

S - Lots of caramel and toasted malt in the nose. Smells like someone's getting ready to dip apples into a batch of melted caramels on the stove. Hints of vanilla. As it warms and the glass gets room to swirl, rasiny fruit tones emerge.

M - Some carbonation, but body leans toward the thin, watery side. Not much of a finish, but what remains invites another taste. This is perhaps its weakest attribute.

D - A classic English porter. Very drinkable. Flavors are delicious but restrained. Could easily enjoy several of these in a sitting. As a bonus, both the nose and the taste open up into additional fruit-based flavors as it warms in the glass. Most American porters are really junior stouts. This beer does a great job of showing off what it means to be a true porter. (1,395 characters)

Dark brown pour with some glints of purple light peeking throught the sides, topped off with khaki frothy head cap that quickly settles to a ring in my mini-nonic glass.

Deep roasted cocoa scents and dry biscuit. This is what a porter should smell like. Also has some vanilla twist and slightly vinous.

First swigs: Ok, so what does Santa's Butt taste like? I never thought I would answer that question but, slight dry cocoa and pancake. Some chocolate ice cream and stays focused on the well done vanilla porter flavor that lends to a creamy feel. Easy roasted maltsand the tiniest bit of citrous hints.

Soft plush carbonation. Medium body, with a middle of the road carbonation feel that leads to an easy drinkability. Smooth porter.

Last swigs: Gentle cocoa and cream. Curiosity about the label influenced trying this one, I'll admit, but seriously good. Thanks to Shapudding for the bottle.

T&D = Well balanced, I am going to count off a little for a slight watery taste at mid palate but mostly I get good strong malt flavors of caramel, toffee with a balance from the hops that comes across like just slightly burnt toast. Does drink very easily, one of my more favorite English Porters.

Purchased because of the entertaining label, now looking forward to the other offerings by Ridgeway.

Nice pour; brown/black with (thin, darn) head that quickly dissipated. But a doughy malt nicely met my nose, along with some chocolates and coffee. Excellent quaff, with the aforementioned along with cinnamon and burnt toast.

On the sweet and light-bodied side, which by the end of the 500ml bottle, was thinning out a little too much. Still very smooth and drinkable, the 6% abv will not really slam you to the floor if one has a bottle or two. Ready for more. (568 characters)

A: Very dark but not thick like Guiness
S: Smells like chocolate and a little toffee
T: I paired this beer with chocolate covered pretzels and it was one of the best combos I have had. The sweetness of the beer was brought out with a smooth aftertaste.
M: Good, nice and smooth but the head wasn't as thick as I would have liked.
D: Perfect for a cold night with plenty of chocolate covered raisins or pretzels. (415 characters)

I've read about their blight in recent years and I thought I'd help support the cause. Poured from the bottle into a pint glass, beer is a very dark, dark brown color - pretty much black, not much in the way of head. The smell is slightly chocolaty, sweet like raisins and prunes. The taste is very much the same, with the alcohol coming out only slightly. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with little carbonation. Very drinkable, not too heavy and is pretty enjoyable. Overall, this is an excellent winter porter . (521 characters)

Nice complexity in the taste. A lot going on here. Something has to be said for a beer that is so balance. Not super adventurous for a porter, but nicely balanced, and the spces make this a nice holiday brew. Finish is with a moderately low hop bitterness that leaves a dryness on the palate.

Crisp carbonation and slight creaminess on the palate.

This is a simple beer to drink. Good for 40 degree weather. If It gets below 10, I'm going for something stronger. (792 characters)

Very little lacing sitting above this the viscous appearing, dark brown colored brew. Nice aromas of dark fruits, toffee, molasses, coffee, and prunes. Thick chewy mouthfeel that is smooth and holds very little carbonation. Well balance of flavors with smoked malts, chocolate malt, tart old ale, toffee, buttery and just a hint of spice that is almost mint like. The finish is dry, earthy and the tart fruit, bready notes carry over at a mild level. Very tasty, highly recommended. (486 characters)

Although the name might be slightly off-putting to some men, Santa's Butt enjoyed at cellar temperature delivers a thoroughly rewarding and drinkable pint!

It's opaque black body barely lets any light through, and only the occasional glimmer of ruby through the body, or its cusp of dark mahogany along the rim of the glass can be seen. The creamy, dark tan head holds well; but it leaves little more than tiny spots of lace about the pint.

It's oh-so smooth across the palate with a medium body and an exceptionally fine-bubbled and moderate, natural carbonation from bottle-conditioning.

The flavor is perfectly balanced with caramelish and subtly toffee-ish malt notes upfront; a yeasty fruitiness developing across the middle; and some lighter chocolate notes that appear towards the swallow. It's alcohol is never apparent; and it's low-key bitterness never does more than play a supporting role from backstage. It finishes drying with some fruit-drenched, subtly roasty, and milk-chocolatey malt that slowly erodes in the aftertaste.

For lovers of English style ales, this one is not to be missed! It's brilliant in it's delivery of rich and satisfying character... meaning that unlike many American ales, it sweeps you off of your feet rather than clocking you in the back of the head! It's a delicate and supple beer in so many ways - and that's a huge part of its charm. Brilliant! (1,566 characters)

I purchased this beer, not for myself, but for another family member who I thought would get a chuckle from the name and label. Unfortunately, given the current carry-on restrictions at our nation's airports, I wasn't able to bring this beer home over the holidays.

I have to say that I didn't expect much when sampling this beer. I figured that with a name like "Santa's Butt" and its low price, this beer would be more of a novelty than a tasty brew. In this respect, I'm happy to be wrong.

This beer pours a deep, dark brown, almost black color. Head development is thick and creamy, settling down to a nice surface covering. Everything about its appearance exemplifies the porter style. Smell is very aromatic with vanilla and a hint of bourbon. Sweet, malty overtones are present with very little hop character. Taste is sweet and malty with coffee notes. This beer exhibits a nice chocolate malt character and some bitterness at the back of the palate. Mouthfeel is smooth and creamy with a little warming owed to the alcohol content. Overall, I was quite surprised at how good this beer turned out. My only disappointment is that I didn't have another bottle to try. (1,179 characters)

Well, I always like some ass... and have fun with the gimmicky labels... but hey, this really did wind up being a surprisingly nice one! When I heard the name, I said I had to have a case of it, just to say I've had Santa's ass, and well, now I have.
Anywhoo...
So dark and chocolately you cannot see through it, except for a bit of amber/rootbeer at the bottom. Bit of a thin ring of khaki only at the edge of the glass. Great porty/stout scents, dark chocolate yumminess, very good. Light to medium body, the carbination is there, but not too much, not too overwhelming. It does fizz up a bit for a second, but not foamy, you just feel it. Very nice dark tastes, black coffee and chocolate, black licorice, anise. the anise really seems to make it's presence known in the aftertaste. Very easy drinker, good flavors and feel.
This turned out to be not only a fun beer to share with my friends and family for the holidays, but a nice drinker! (948 characters)